


Vanilla Ice Cream Dreams

by AliceJasper28



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, I Blame Tumblr, Kid Fic, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-12
Updated: 2015-10-18
Packaged: 2018-04-26 01:12:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,800
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4984141
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AliceJasper28/pseuds/AliceJasper28
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Len, with the help of his sister and best friend, is raising his two year old son while also working and attending school. All he wants is to finish school as quickly as possible with no drama. Barry is just the quiet science nerd hoping to get through school without any issues or problems. This doesn't really work out well for either of them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

In Barry's defense, the only reason the bullies caught him is because he was almost hit by a car and if he'd been hit by a car, Joe would probably revive him just to kill him again (Barry didn't think it was beyond him). So, after almost getting hit by a car and then getting his daily beating, Barry was feeling pretty down and out of it which is why he didn't notice that he wasn't alone in his quiet corner of the park until a small hand tugged on his pants leg.

Barry looked down and found that a small child was staring at him intently with bright, intelligent blue eyes. The child had a mop of dark curly hair and he was frowning like he was trying to figure out who Barry was with just a look (he may have been trying to figure out why some of Barry's face was purple though).

“Um, hello?” Barry said, glancing around for an adult that could take responsibility for this child. The child didn't respond verbally instead he gave Barry a toothy grin and tugged harder on Barry's leg. For a second, Barry was worried that the child was all alone but he looked far too happy for that to be the case plus his clothes were in too good of a condition for him to be living too rough (Barry tried to live by the whole 'don't judge a book by it's cover' outlook, so that wasn't a definite answer in his eyes).

“Uh,” Barry frowned, “What's your name?”

“Michael,” The child – Michael – replied (sounding more intelligent than a boy his age really should; although he did have a slight lisp).

“Hi, Michael, I'm Barry,” Barry introduced himself, he wasn't very good with kids so he was feeling self-conscious.

Michael's smile grew, apparently happy with the conversation's direction. Barry must be better with kids than he thought or at least this one anyway.

Barry couldn't help but smile in response. He then asked, “Where are your parents?”

Michael pointed behind him in the general direction of the play area. Barry squinted trying to see if there were any panicked looking parents searching for a child. He didn't see any but what he did see was Leonard Snart, one of the scariest guys in school (he'd never bullied Barry though and most of the seniors did), looking very panicked and almost hysteric.

“Were you with him?” Barry asked pointing Snart out to Michael. Michael nodded and grabbed Barry's hand, tugging him over excitedly, Barry just managing to grab his bag. For something with such tiny legs, the kid sure moved fast.

“Er, hi?” Barry called out to Snart, who'd turned his back as the duo were approaching. Snart turned around, looking ready to snap, but froze when he saw Michael safe. His face broke into a relieved smile and he gathered Michael up in his arms immediately.

“Michael thank god!” Snart breathed, “Don't ever run off like that again, you hear!?”

Michael nodded into Snart's shoulder, looking quite confused, he obviously didn't realize what he'd done wrong.

“I, uh, found him over there,” Barry said, when Snart looked up, waving his arm behind him, “Well he found me actually.”

“Thanks,” Snart said, frowning at Barry like he'd seen him somewhere before and couldn't quite place his face. Barry was used to being seen but not noticed at school so it didn't surprise him.

“I'm Barry Allen,” Barry stammered awkwardly, “We, uh, go to school together.”

“Oh right, you're that science genius guy right?” Snart stood up, Michael sat comfortably on his hip.

“Well, I wouldn't say genius,” Barry blushed and rubbed his neck sheepishly.

“I guess you already know me then,” Snart shifted on his feet, looking anxious.

“Yeah,” Barry nodded, “You're Leonard Snart...right?”

Snart snorted and replied, “Yeah I am and please call me Len.”

Barry internally face palmed himself, he'd always had trouble talking to attractive people (it was a miracle he could talk to any of his friends honestly). And Sna-Len was very attractive, he had a dark buzz-cut, a face that was built for smoldering looks and bright blue eyes that matched Michael's.

“Are you going to tell the whole school now?” Len asked, breaking Barry out of his thoughts. He was looking at Barry coldly but he also looked slightly fearful.

“Tell them what?” Barry asked, genuinely confused.

“That I have a kid?” Len said, looking at Barry like he'd grown another head.

“Wait, Michael's yours?!” Barry spluttered, looking extremely shocked.

Len scowled and grunted, “Is there something wrong with that?”

_Well no_ , Barry thought, _I just got ten times more attracted to you is all_.

Barry figured he should probably say something but when he opened his mouth to speak, no words came out. Leonard Snart had a kid. _**Leonard Snart had a kid**_. Barry's mind was reeling, it did explain why some of the teachers at school seemed to cut Len some slack but it was still a major shock to the system.

“Well?” Len growled.

“N-no of course not!” Barry stuttered, finding his voice, “I'm just surprised is all, I had no idea.”

“Well, I'd like to keep it that way, if you don't mind,” Len grumbled, apparently accepting Barry's extreme awkwardness as shock.

“O-of course! I won't tell anyone! Not even my sister,” Barry agreed. Iris would probably give him the silent treatment of a lifetime if she ever found out that he knew and hadn't told her but Barry wasn't about to blab. Plus she already knew way too much about the entire school so it was probably best not to increase her power.

“Okay then,” Len said, adjusting Michael on his hip. Michael seemed quite content to fiddle with his _**father's**_ hoodie strings.

“So, um, how old is he?” Barry asked, desperately trying to fill the awkward silence that had fallen.

Len looked surprised for a moment before responding, “Two.”

“Oh wow, he's really smart for being only two!” Barry exclaimed.

“He gets it from my sister,” Len replied, giving his son a small smile.

“Lisa right?” Barry inquired, “I think my friend, Cisco, has a crush on her.”

Len snickered at the horrified look on Barry's face when he realized what he just said. Cisco was going to kill him. Painfully. Barry groaned and hid his face in his hands, why did he have to be the most awkward person on the planet? (That role might go to Felicity actually but at that moment Barry felt it was him).

“You know what, I like you Barry,” Len stated, “But I think you should probably go put some ice on those bruises of yours.”

“What? Oh!” Barry frowned before remembering that the pain he was feeling in his face was in fact from being punched. He didn't think it was that bad but apparently it was.

“Puwple man!” Michael chirped, his lisp making him even more adorable.

Barry smiled and said, “I think we've solved the mystery of why Michael came up to me.”

“Yeah, it would appear so,” Len agreed a fond look on his face.

Barry gave a nervous chuckle, rubbing his neck absently. Luckily for Barry, Len seemed to be feeling just as awkward. Michael, though, was oblivious to the atmosphere and was happily chewing on his father's hoodie.

“Um, I should get going,” Len said.

“Oh right, me too,” Barry nodded, “Homework and stuff to do.”

Barry internally cringed at his awkwardness and hoped he didn't sound like too much of a dork. Len was having the same problem, although he hoped he didn't sound too mean and like he was desperate to get away from the cute nerd who found his kid.

“I'll see you at school?” Barry hesitated like he wanted to say more but wasn't sure what.

“Sure, see you at school,” Len agreed, “And thanks again.”

He gave Barry one last small smile before turning and walking away. Michael waving over his father's shoulder, grinning toothily at Barry. Barry waved back, smiling despite himself. When Barry checked the time, he silently cursed himself. Joe was going to kill him for being so late! Barry quickly turned and ran from the park, not noticing Len gazing back at him.

-Line Break-

When Len got home to his small dingy apartment that he shared with his younger sister Lisa, he had to sit Michael down and explain to him why running off was a bad thing and that he shouldn't do it ever again. It took some time for Michael to accept this but eventually he agreed, going off to play with his toys when Len had finished. Luckily for Len he had the day off so he didn't need to rush off to work and leave Michael for his sister to take care of. Not that Lisa minded too much, she loves her nephew to pieces and spends as much time as possible with him.

Len was sat in living room watching Michael play when Lisa got home from her own after-school job. They both needed jobs to provide for all three of the apartment's occupants (occasionally Mick as well) and also be able to afford clothes for Michael, who was growing up fast. At times they struggled to make ends meet but at least they had each other and Michael. They weren't stuck with their deadbeat dad either which made life ten times easier. Especially after what happened when Michael was born (Len didn't like talking about it neither did Lisa so they both pretended they didn't have a dad at all).

Lisa dropped her keys into the bowl near the front door before moving into the living room to greet her brother and favorite nephew. She grinned at Michael when she saw him and gathered him up into her arms; swinging him in the air slightly before settling him on her hip.

“And how was my gorgeous nephew's day?” She asked tapping Michael's nose.

“Well, we almost lost him but a nice man found him,” Len said, “Isn't that right, Mikey?”

Micheal nodded and chirped, “He was puwple, Auwnt Lisa!”

“Purple?” Lisa questioned, looking at Len confused.

“It was a kid from school, he looked pretty beat up,” Len replied non-chalantly.

“And you didn't help him?” Lisa cried, looking slightly outraged. She always got very exasperated with her brother.

“He seemed fine, plus I was too preoccupied with almost losing Michael,” Len explained, holding his hands up in surrender.

“Mikey, sweetie,” Lisa said to her nephew placing him on the floor, “Go play with your toys.”

Michael nodded and toddled off to resume playing with his toys; while Lisa turned back to her brother and scowled. She wasn't going to let this go without a fight, it seemed.

Len sighed and leaned forward, “I turned my back for a second and Michael was gone, he must've seen Barry and wanted to find out why he was 'purple'.”

“Barry?” Lisa raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah, apparently he goes to school with us or something,” Len said, shrugging.

“Do you mean Barry Allen?” Lisa asked, realization dawning on her face.

“Yeah, so?” Len frowned at his sister, wondering where she was going with this.

“Oh Lenny,” Lisa sighed, rubbing her temple, “You should've helped the poor boy.”

“What? Why?” Len questioned. He hated it when Lisa was cryptic.

“Because he's the kid who's dad went to prison for his mother's murder,” Lisa explained, feeling sorry for the kid.

“Oh,” Len said, he knew the kid looked familiar. He remembered when the kid joined the high school, everyone was talking about it, at the time Len hadn't paid it much attention but now he was remembering how people like Tony Woodward would pick on the poor kid; he also remembered that Barry was in Lisa's year so he should probably stop referring to him as 'kid'. Having a kid himself, seems to have made Len older than he actually was.

“Yeah, oh,” Lisa scoffed, rolling her eyes. She obviously paid more attention to what was happening at school then Len did. Mick probably knew as well (which is saying something because if it didn't have anything to do with the Snart's, fire or fighting, he generally didn't even notice it).

Len sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, leaning back into the old, lumpy couch; Lisa joined him, leaning into her brother's side and resting her head on his shoulder. Len felt bad, if he'd known who Barry was he would've helped the poor kid instead of just telling him to put ice on his face. Michael was oblivious to what was happening, content to play with his train-set, making the noises to himself.

“What do you want for dinner?” Lisa asked, smiling fondly at her nephew.

“I was thinking pizza,” Len replied, smiling into Lisa's hair.

Lisa nodded and inquired, “Frozen or take-out?”

“Frozen,” Len answered, getting up to go prepare their meal. Lisa let him go, falling down to rest her head on the arm of the couch.

“Is Mick joining us?” Lisa called to her brother, pulling a face at Michael in the process. Michael giggled and got up to show his train to his aunt.

“No, he had to stay home tonight, something about family time or whatever,” Len shrugged; Mick tended to grunt and mumble when he had to talk about his family so Len had stopped asking and just went with it.

“Okay,” Lisa said simply, making the appropriate noises and facial expressions as Michael showed off his train. Len smiled fondly, looking through the doorway at his sister and son.

He was unbelievably lucky to have such an amazing sister and adorable, (mostly) well-behaved kid and a supportive best friend who was practically part of the family. Len just hoped he wouldn't have to deal with too much drama this year at school. Well, a man can dream.


	2. Chapter 2

The shrill sound of Barry's alarm clock, shocked him so badly, that he actually fell out of bed; he let out an 'oof' as he hit the floor with a loud thud, alerting Joe downstairs. Barry reached up to his nightstand to turn the alarm off, flopping back down onto the floor when he had successfully silenced the annoying alarm.

 

Sadly this happened most mornings so both Joe and Iris were used to hearing loud bangs coming from Barry's room; even Wally was starting to get used to it and he'd only been living with them for a month. Speaking of Wally, the fourteen year old had the job of get Barry out of bed and downstairs safely that morning. The West's took it in turns each morning, they even had a router set up and everything (Barry had to wear a T-shirt to bed because of this; it would only get awkward with Iris if he didn't). Wally bounded into Barry's room, oddly cheery and tugged his foster-brother up and onto his feet. Wally's hair was looking particularly fuzzy and he looked too awake for someone who'd woken up at seven.

 

“Morning, Wally,” Barry grunted, using his bed to heave himself up so he could stand.

 

“Morning,” Wally chirped, grabbing Barry by the wrist and dragging him downstairs.

 

“Why are you so happy?” Barry grumbled, not fully awake yet.

 

“Pancakes!” Wally said, grinning.

 

Iris often complained that the 'men' in the house were black-holes who consumed uncountable amounts of food (she wasn't any better but the boys didn't have the heart to tell her). Luckily Iris was an early riser so she got first dibs on the pancakes; Joe's pancakes were delicious and caused many arguments over the years. Iris won all of them. Since Wally had joined their little family, pancakes had become a daily occurrence (Joe was trying to make Wally feel as welcome as possible).

 

“Morning boys,” Joe greeted as Wally bounded down the stairs, dragging poor Barry after him.

 

“Morning,” Barry smiled at his foster father.

 

Wally just grinned at Joe and made his way over to the dinning room table, Iris was already sat there. She had gotten her pancakes first and was looking very smug about it. Barry followed Wally, mentally preparing himself for the possibility of having to fight over the very mouth-watering pancakes. (Every morning there is always a 50/50 chance that there'll be a fight for the pancakes).

 

“So, Barry, are you going to tell us how you got the bruises this time or are you going to say you fell again?” Joe asked, giving Barry a stern, un-impressed look. Barry's a terrible liar, it's quite embarrassing really.

 

Barry sighed, knowing he couldn't attempt to lie his way out of this one. He fidgeted in his seat before admitting, “It was either this or get hit by a car.”

 

“What!?” Iris and Joe yelled at the same time. Wally, who was eating his pancakes peacefully, jumped and looked at Barry in alarm. (It turned out he wasn't awake as originally believed).

 

“I was running away and this car came out of nowhere, I had to stop before it hit me which meant that they caught me,” Barry explained, careful not to give any names. It would only cause trouble.

 

“Oh Barry,” Joe sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

 

“How many times do I have to tell you to just walk home with me and Eddie,” Iris scolded.

 

Barry just sighed in response and continued to eat his pancakes. Wally, who had been quiet through out the whole thing, sunk down in his chair, bracing himself in-case Iris and Barry started to fight. It had only happened once since Wally moved in but it was brutal enough that Wally had learned to hide until the fighting stopped or risk something being thrown at his head.

 

“Barry, tonight I want you to walk home with Iris and Eddie,” Joe told Barry, “No arguments,” He added when Barry opened his mouth to protest.

 

Barry clamped his mouth shut and nodded, it wasn't worth fighting over. Iris was scowling at Barry but she didn't say anything further. Wally let out a sigh of relief, and resumed eating his pancakes. Barry gave Iris a sour look and returned to his pancakes. He was making it very clear that he wasn't happy with the arrangement.

 

Joe sighed at the look on Barry's face and said, “Now finish your pancakes and get ready for school.”

 

-Line Break-

 

At the Snart household, their morning was much more peaceful. Well, as peaceful as an apartment can be with a two year old. Unlike Barry, Len's actually an early riser so he was up and ready at 6:00am (compared to Barry's 7:00am). This gave him plenty of time to get himself and Michael ready.

 

Although that morning, Michael had decided he was going to be difficult because he wanted to see the 'purple man' again. Lisa was finding the whole thing hilarious, of course, not even attempting to help her brother get his son ready for daycare..

 

“Come on, Michael,” Len sighed, “At least put on your socks.”

 

Michael pouted and shook his head. Unfortunately for Len, Michael had inherited his and Lisa's stubbornness. It was as cute as it was annoying.

 

“Okay, how about this, if I see the 'purple man' again, I'll ask him if he'd like to see you. How does that sound?” Len suggested.

 

Michael scrunched up his face in thought causing Lisa to coo at her nephew which in turn earned an eye roll from Len although he found it adorable too. Michael finally nodded and Len let out a sigh of relief; now that his son's mini-not-quite-a-tantrum was over, Len could finally get Michael ready for daycare and still get to school on time.

 

The daycare wasn't too far from the high school so Len was able to drop Michael off while walking to school. The staff there were also aware of Len's situation so they kept him a little later than the other kids as the daycare tended to finish at three while the high school ended half three. So, after finally managing to get Michael's socks, shoes and coat on, Len and Lisa were able to drop him off without any further issues.

 

Although at the high school there was a very big issue going on. Which Lisa and Len discovered when they turned the corner and found a large crowd gathered outside, near the steps leading up to the school. There was a lot of yelling that sounded suspiciously like they were egging on a fight. For a split second the siblings were worried it was Mick but that worry was dismissed when they saw him walking on the other end of the street, he had also noticed the fight it seemed; if the frown on his face was any indication.

 

Len made his way towards the crowd, prepared to break the fight up if he needed to. As he got closer he recognized Tony Woodward's gang stood closer to the center than the other students, they were also making the most noise which suggested to Len that Woodward was probably the one in the fight. He also saw his friend, Mark Mardon, who was stood a little bit off to the side with his boyfriend, Ray Palmer.

 

Len approached Mark and Ray, figuring that they probably knew what was going on. He greeted them with, “Who's the poor kid Woodward's beating up?”

 

“Hello to you too,” Mark said sarcastically, rolling his eyes. Ray just smiled and patted his boyfriend's shoulder.

 

“Yeah, hi, now who is it?” Len sighed and asked, desperate to know.

 

“Hal Jordan,” Ray replied, “He started a fight with Woodward and his gang because apparently his best friend was beat up by them yesterday.”

 

Len nodded, that made sense. He also added, “The Allen kid, right?”

 

“Yeah, how'd you know?” Mark frowned.

 

“I saw the kid after he'd been beaten up yesterday,” Len shrugged.

 

“Oh I see,” Mark nodded.

 

“Lenny, shouldn't you break them up?” Lisa voice came from behind them, she'd obviously approached while they were talking.

 

“I guess I probably should, huh?” Len sighed.

 

“Looks like you won't have to,” Ray said pointing at something behind Lisa and Len.

 

The siblings turned around and saw Oliver Queen, John Diggle and Eddie Thawne pushing their way through the crowd to break up the fight. Now that Len didn't have to deal with that, he focused on searching the crowd for the reason of the fight. There wasn't any sign of Barry Allen, however there was his foster sister Iris West, stood off to the side watching with a worried look on her face. Where ever Iris West was, Barry Allen wasn't far behind.

 

Len turned his attention back to the fight when Lisa gripped his hand tightly. The crowd had spread out enough that they could now see the perpetrators. Thawne and Diggle had their arms wrapped around Hal keeping him from continuing the fight, Queen was stood in front of them, glaring at Woodward. Surprisingly, Woodward was looking pretty bloody, which didn't happen often; Hal didn't look any better, Len could see that his nose was definitely broken and that he was going to have a massive black eye later. Despite this Hal was fighting his two friends hold on him; Len figured that yesterday wasn't the first time Woodward had beaten up Barry Allen, why else would Hal be so mad now?

 

“We should go inside,” Len said, turning towards the steps and tugging Lisa with him. As he turned he noticed Mick stood on the steps waiting for them.

 

“Yeah, that's a good idea,” Mark agreed. There was always a 50% chance that the students watching the fights would get in trouble to so it was always best to escape before any teachers showed up.

 

The other spectators seemed to have the same idea as students started to file into the school, uninterested now that the fight was over. The only people left, Len noticed as he walked inside, were the people involved in the fight, Woodward's gang and Iris West who was still stood to the side and didn't seem to be making any move to go inside. Len hoped for, if not their sake then Barry's, that his friends didn't get in trouble (Woodward and his gang could get expelled for all Len cared).

 

-Line Break-

 

During this whole thing, Barry was at his locker sorting through the books he would need for his classes. Oblivious to the entire fight and completely unaware that he was the cause. It isn't until Cisco comes running up to him, panting, that he's made aware of the fight.

 

“Cisco, what's the matter?” Barry asked, looking at his friend with concern written over his features.

 

“Ha-Hal got into a fight with Tony Woodward because of yesterday,” Cisco panted out, he looked ready to collapse and was bent over with his hands on his knees trying to catch his breath..

 

Barry's eyes widened and he squeaked, “What? Why?!”

 

“Hal heard Woodward bragging and lost it,” Cisco explained, straighting up and then slumping against the lockers.

 

“Oh my God, that idiot!” Barry yelled, slamming his locker shut. Cisco jumped and glared at Barry.

 

“I'm going to kill him,” Barry grumbled starting to storm off.

 

“It's too late, I think they're in the principle's office.” Cisco informed him, trailing behind.

 

“Well, I'll kill him later then,” Barry said, stopping.

 

“We should get to class before we get into trouble,” Cisco advised, giving Barry a worried glance.

 

“Yeah, I guess,” Barry sighed.

 

As Barry turned to go to class (it being in the opposite direction to the principle's office) he accidentally bumped into a hard chest, falling down from the impact. Barry looked up ready to snap at the person but instead found his mouth falling open when he was met with the sight of Len.

 

“Crap, I'm sorry!” Len apologized. “I didn't see you.”

 

“Uh, it's okay,” Barry mumbled, blinking up at Len in a slight daze.

 

Len held out his hand, which Barry took and helped him onto his feet, apologizing the whole time. Once, Barry was upright it took an awfully long time for the two to let go of each others hands but when they did, Barry flushed bright red.

 

“Are you okay?” Len asked. Barry had a feeling he wasn't asking about the fall though.

 

“Yeah, I'm fine,” Barry said.

 

“Uh, Barry?” Cisco called from the lockers he'd, at some point, leaned against where he was watching the whole thing curiously. “We need to get to class,”

 

“Oh, right!” Barry agreed, grabbing his bag from where it had fallen.

 

“Uh before you go, I, um, need to ask you something,” Len said, wringing his hands nervously.

 

“Oh sure what is it?” Barry nodded.

 

“Can we do this in private?” Len asked, glancing at Cisco.

 

“Yeah,” Barry agreed, letting Len lead him down the hall a bit where they wouldn't be heard.Len glanced around first before turning to Barry to ask his question.

 

“Well, it's seems you made quite the impression on Michael because this morning I couldn't get him ready since he was demanding to see the 'purple man' again,” Len explained, face turning steadily more red as he spoke, “So, I was, uh, wondering if you wouldn't mind seeing him again?”

 

Barry stared at Len surprised. He wasn't expecting Leonard Snart to ask him to see his son again _and_ blush while doing it. Len waited quietly for Barry's answer, fidgeting nervously.

 

“I don't see a problem with that?” Barry finally said, earning a sigh of relief from Len.

 

Len smiled, a small smile but still a smile and asked, “Are you free this Saturday?”

 

“Um, yeah I think so,” Barry nodded, mentally checking his schedule, “Did you want my phone number?” Barry added as an after thought.

 

“If you don't mind,” Len replied.

 

The boys exchanged numbers, Barry's hands shaking so much from nerves he almost dropped Len's phone while putting his number in. Len didn't seem as nervous but he seemed slightly embarrassed, judging from the pink flush on his cheeks.

 

“Thank you, see you Saturday” Len said brightly, turning away and taking off for his next class.

 

Cisco approached Barry as soon as Len was gone, giving him a questioning look. Barry just shook his head implying that he'd tell Cisco later. Apparently accepting this, Cisco nodded and the duo ran to their next class. Barry was still in shock from the fact that Leonard Snart had asked him to spend time with his son; it didn't make sense in Barry's head but he wasn't going to question it just yet, content to let the whole thing play out. For now anyway.


End file.
